Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-20
Parker Uounts's a Advantages.

Parker COunty'S advantages.
Special to The Gazette.
WATERFRONT, TEX, Dec. 19.-The
great immigration movement inaugursted
by THE GAZETTE, has awakened the
people of this county to an interest never
before manifested, and sll those who are
interested in the uobulding Of Weather
ford Parker county, and the state at large,
have awakened to the importance Of the
move, and they have began 70 enumerate
the advantage that Parker county affords
to the substantial farmers VINO are SEEK.
ing homes and the advantages Weather
ford offers as business point, and the
result is that no greater advantages are
offered by any county or state. Mr. Ira
B. Taylor, one of the delegates appointed
to attend the convention st Dallas to-
morrow, has gathered few notes as to
the acreage OF land and the quality in
the county, the school system, etc, with
other interesting notes concerning the
county which he has dore with the view
of sho wing the managers of the Different
what inducements are offered
in this city and county which will nstur-
ally draw immigration ii the railroads
will offer the inducements Of cheap rates.
1t is supposed that other delegations from
other counties will prepare themselves
with like statistics to be presented to the
managers of the different roads. Some
Of tie data gathered by Mr.. Taylor is,
that Packer county contains 576, 900 acres
Of land and out of this acresge there
are $50 900 acres of tillsble land
of which 100000 acres are Of the very
finest in this or any other state, clsssed
as FIRST class tillable land, and that there
are 1885, 900 acres now in high state Of
cultivation and Is 900 acres in pastures
in connection with fine thoroughbred
stock farms. The estimate OF the pro-
portion of timber land and prairie is thst
one-third of the county is timbeEed and
two-thirds prairie. The lands Of this
county as rated by the Comptroller of the
state Is the seventh highest average taxa
BILE valuation in the state, that is there
are only six other counties ia the state
taken on al average OF all the lands IN
the county, that average above this
county showing the superior quality Of
the land in this county over nearly every
county in Texas. The farmers, and par
ticulerly the grain growers, eDj "
greater yield to the acreage than any
county in the state. AS q wheat-grOWiDg
county there are no superlors to Parker
county, and right here 1t sprope1 to state
that the increase over any previous year
in acreage IN wheat sown Is fully % per
cent, and the condition was never better
in the history of the county. Several
prominent farmers have stated srecently
to THK GAZETTE correspondent that
they have been sowing wheat in this
county for from twenty to thirty-one
years and the prospects are better than
they ever knew there. The data in
regard to schools gathered by Mr.. Tey-
lor, is that there are seventy-six public
school districts in the county, eighty
three white schools, and three colored
schools, making in all eighty-six. These
school houses are built and owned by the
state and are maintained by the school
fund OF the state, giving ample facilities
for the education of all children in the
county. There is plenty Of coal found in
the northwest part of the county, though
it has never been worked to any sdvan-
tege. The finest building stone
In the state is found within
one to four miles OF this city. The popu-
latlon in the county is 20 600. Weather
ford, the county seat, situated near the
StUSidpuiSol SCuiCt VI tlO SOaAtJS WILL o
population of 5000, is one Of the best
business points in the state, has two
trunk lines of railroad, the Texas and
Pacific and the Santa Fe route, has the
only hydraulic castor oil mill in the
south, and the cultivation Of castor beans
is one Of the staple products; has two
Touring mills, the Crystal Palace roller
mill and the Parker county roller
mill, both full roller process with a
capacity of 100 barrels daily each Of the
finest -four made. They are kept running
night and day on wheat raised in this and
adjoining counties, thereby giving ample
market for the immense wheat crop grown
in the county.
The public schools Of Weatherford are
attracting great attention throughout the
country ss being the best in the state; in
fact, it took the premium at the Dallas
State Fair as the best exhibit there, and
its merits justify its position as one of the
leading educational Institutions In the
state. The building cost $2s, 600.
One marked feature Of Weatherford' 8
position in the front rank as business
place, Is that there has not been q single
failure Of any consequence in this city for
about ave years, and sll the business
men IN every branch enjoys an excellent
trade and are prosperous. There is now
o companylorganized to build street car
railway, and the charter has been secured
and work will be commenced in short
time.
~ ryss., Was 4horford W.far Tjoht oud Ice